+To check that the setting was correct, run `/network` and confirm that the freenode entry looks like this:
+
+ freenode: sasl_mechanism: plain, sasl_username: gryllida, sasl_password: (pass)
+
+All three items (mechanism, username, and password) must be set.
+
+# Older versions
+
+These versions need a separate script in order to support SASL: `cap_sasl.pl`.
+You can install it from <https://scripts.irssi.org>:
+
+ mkdir -p ~/.irssi/scripts/autorun
+ wget https://scripts.irssi.org/scripts/cap_sasl.pl -O ~/.irssi/scripts/cap_sasl.pl
+ ln -sf ../cap_sasl.pl ~/.irssi/scripts/autorun/
+
+Now load and configure it inside Irssi:
+
+ /script load cap_sasl
+ /network add freenode
+ /server add -auto -net freenode -ssl -ssl_verify chat.freenode.net 6697
+ /sasl set freenode <login> <password> PLAIN
+ /sasl save
+ /save